Phonograph device



March 23, 1943. v CQRTELLA 2,314,345

PHONOGRAPH DEVICE Filed Nov. 14, 1940 3 Sheets-Sheet l WWW ATTORNEY /NVENTOR flake/75a [or/l/a. BY

March 23, 1943. CQRTELLA 2,314,345

PHONOGRAPH DEVICE Filed Nov. 14, 1940 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR ATTORNEY March 23, 1943. CQRTELLA 2,314,345

PHONOGRAPH DEVICE Filed Nov. 14, 1940 I 3 Sheets-Sheet s I Will I :F-

INVENTOR ATTORNEY PatentedMar.23,l943

UNITED STATES PATENT orr cs 2.11am v PHONOGBAPH DEVICE Alphonse Oortella, New York, N. Y.. assignor to tterson, Bockvllle centre,

' Application 150mm- 14, 1940, No. some:

' scum. (01. 274-13) This invention relates to phonographic devices. More particularly my invention relates to an improved phonograph recording and reproducing unit adapted for home use.

One of the objects of my invention is to p vide an improved phonograph recording and reillustrated m of a phonograph cabinet "I housing the usual standard phonograph driving mechanism and comprising the 'turntable ll,

ducing unit of the class described which shall comprise relatively few parts, which shall be characterized by its ease of assembly and simplicity of operation and which shall at the same time possess a high degree of efiiciency and practicability.

Further objects of my invention will become apparent in the following detailed description thereof.

In the accompanying drawings,

Fig. 1 is a front elevational view of a portion of a phonograph recording and reproducing device constructed in accordance with my invention;

Fig. 2 is a top plan view thereof;

Fig. 8 is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken substantially on the line of Fig. 2-;

Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken substantially on the line 4-4 of Fig. 8;

Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken substantially on the line 8-5 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken substantially on the line 6-8 of Fig. 5;

Fig. 7 is a side elevational view, partly in section, similar to Fig. 5, but illustrating my invention as applied to a different type of reproducing and recording unit; v

Fig. 8 is a front elevational view, partly in section, of a portion of a phonograph recording more particularly to Fig. 1 through 6 I have fixed to the usual vertical shaft I 2 for rotation thereof. The turn table II may be covered with the customary layer of felt II to protectively receiveand grip a previously recorded or pregrooved disc I 4 of any suitable standard make. Fixed to the cabinet ll is a bearing member ll rotatably receiving therein a pivot shaft it which inturnisfixedto astandardtypeoftone arm I! designed for the electrical type of reproduction or recording. well known to the art.

In accordance with my invention I have attached to the tone arm II a recorder unit ll of any standard well known construction and having a cutting needle I! of the type well known in the art. The unit I! is of the type adapted for-electrical recording by means of a suitable microphone or similar device (not shown) connected to said'unit I! by the wires 20 passing through the hollow tone arm II. The recorder unit It is plvotally attached to the tone arm l1 by means of a bracket 2| fixed at one end to the said unit I8 and at the. other end to a pivot '22 journaled in the tone arm II. The unit It is of such weight as to provide sufilcient cutting force to the needle is to plough a furrow in the surface of a suitable recording disc of any well known construction in accordance with the sound to be recorded in the well known manner.

.To regulate the pressure force of the needle I! on the recordto be made, there is provided a spring 24 fixed atone end'to an extension Ila of the unit l8 and at the other end to a screwthreaded member 28, the latter being supported in a bracket arm 21 fixed to the tone arm II, as shown. A knurled portion 28 on the member 26 is provided to facilitate the adjustment of the tension on the-spring 24 to relieve or increase the pressure force of the weight of the unit l8 acting on the cutting needle ii.

In accordance with my invention I have provided the following mechanism by means of which a recording may be made on a suitable blank recording disc, utilizing any standard type of record available in the average home as a tracking guide, to cut the spiral groove on the said blank disc.

As shown in Figs. 1 through 6 the tracking disc l4 may be a standard record having any recording thereon. The said record I4 is preferably of the larger diameter type. overlying the record I4 I place a blank recording disc of smaller diameter than the tracking record, such as. for example, the disc 80, so that the said recordingdiscitwillrotatewiththetracking record It on the turntable ii. Fixedly attached to the tone arm I! for movement therewith by any suitable attaching means, such as welding, is a bearingmember 8|. The said member II is lined with a soft rubber bushing 32 in which is received, for axial rotation, a shaft portion "a of the bracket arm ll. The bracket arm 33, is

provided with an outwardly extending portion 83b disposed transversely of the direction oi movement of the spiral groove on the record it. Mounted on the arm portion 38b for sliding movement along the axis or said portion 83bis a needle-holding gravity member II designed to removably hold therein a phonograph needle it of the usual type. The member is is free I the bushing 32 in a dit'ection about the axis of the shaft portion 33a.

when it is desired to make a recording on the disc 30, the cutting needle I9 is positioned adjacent the peripheral edge of the said disc 30, after which the member It may be adjustably moved to a position along the arm portion 33b where the tracking needle 38 will be disposed substantially at the beginning of the spiral groove G on the tracking record I. If when in such relative positions of the needles I! and 36, the turntable II is set in rotation, and the sound which it is desired to be recorded is effectively being produced and transmitted electrically through the wires 20 and into the unit ii, the cutting needle IS in ploughing a groove ll in the disc will follow the spiral formation of the tracking record ll, due to the construction and mounting of the tracker member ll as above described.

It is noted that when the tracking record I4 is of the twelve inch diameter type and the recording disc 30 is six, inches in diameter. there will be a margin of three inches between the outer edges of the disc 30 and record It.

This will allow for a maximum recording surface on the disc 30 of approximately .three inches across the record; If it is desired to make an additional recording on the disc I. after the said three inches have been recorded, the tracker member 35 may be slidably moved further along the arm portion 83b and the tracking needle 36 again positioned at the beginning of the spiral groove G on the tracking record ll.

If on the other hand a ten inch recording disc 3. is employed with a twelve inch tracking record It only approximately one inch of recording may be made at a time on the said disc 30, after which the member 35 may be adiustably moved outwardly on the arm portion 33b to allow further movement of the cutting needle it.

The arm portion "a may be maintained within the bearing 3| by providing a shoulder 42 on the said arm portion 310 abutting one edge of the bushing 32 and a nut 43 threadedly received on the free end of the said portion 33a. When the nut 43 is tightened it will compress senses the soft rubber bushing 32 to cause slight bul in at opposite ends." as shown in Fig. 3 of the drawings, to thus hold the shaft portion 83 as well as the soft bushing 32 within the bearing 8|.

It is noted that the soft rubber bushing 32 is designed to prevent any vibration, which may be picked up by the member SI from the tracking record ll, from being transmitted to the recorder unit It and the cutting needle It.

In Fig. 7 I have illustrated the manner in which my invention may be satisfactorily employed in connection with a mechanical type of recording and reproducing unit instead of the electrical type described in the Figs. 1 through 6 form of my invention.

In Fig. 7, it is noted that I have illustrated a mechanical type recorder it instead of the unit it, attached to a hollow horn type of tone arm 54. The said tone arm I is supported by a bail member ll attached to a pivot. shaft I! which in turn is received in a bearing member I fixed to the phonograph cabinet II.

The operation of the Figure 7 form of my invention is the same as that described in connection with the Figs. 1 through 6 form, except that the sound to be recorded on the disc 30 travels through the horn 54 to the unit I. instead of being electrically transmitted.

In Fig. 8 I have illustrated a modified form of my invention inwhich it is shown how any selected size tracking record may be employed to record on any desired size recording disc. In this form of my invention I employ the same type of turntable ll covered with felt it and on which is placed the tracking record ll, in this instance of the twelve inch type. However, I employ a recording disc 60, which may be of any desired size, but which for the purposes of illustration, I have shown to be of the same diameter as the tracking record It. This recording disc 60 I mount on a second turntable II, which in turn is fixed to a shaft 02 for rotation therewith and forming a part of a spacer bushing member 63 having an opening 64 at the lower end thereof for receiving the portion of the shaft l2 therein, which projects above the record H. The member 68 is also provided withan outwardly extending flange it slightly recessed on the underside thereof for receiving a resilient washer 88 to frictionally cause simultaneous rotational movement of both turntables Ii and BI, so that the record It and disc ll will be simultaneously rotated at uniform speed. The height of the member 83 is such as to space the turntable 6| from the turntable II a millclent distance to permit the free lateral movement of the tracker-needle carrier 85 therebetween.

In this form of my invention I employ the same bearing member ii on the tone arm II for supporting a bracket arm '1, similar in function to that of the bracket arm 33, but of slightly different shape as shown, to provide for the difference in levels of the disc II and record I.

It is noted that in the Fig. 8 form of my invention when the recording disc is substantially of the same or smaller size than the tracking record, a complete recording may be made on the recording disc without the necessity of readjusting the position of the member 3! as hereinbefore described in connection with the Pigs.

anew

of the turn table 8|, as shown. A knurled head I8 is provided to facilitate the rotation of the screw 12 to alter the distance d between the rim of the turn table 8| and the screw 12.

It is thus seen from the above described construction that when the screw II has been ad- Justably positioned as shown in Fig. 8. the end Ila of the screw I2 will abut the rim of the turn table 8| when the needles i8 and "will have moved a lateral distance equal to d,.at

which time the said needles will be prevented from further lateral movement.

In Figs. 9 through 12, I have shown still another modified form of my invention in which the weighted tracking member is so mounted that it may be relatively moved with respect to the tone arm. In this way vibrations picked up by the tracking member from the grooved tracking disc will be prevented from affecting the cutting needle.

In this latter form of my invention Iutillze the same phonograph cabinet i8 and vertical shaft I! to which is fixed the turn table II. The same covering of felt I8 is provided over the turn table Ii for receiving the tracking disc i8. Overlying the said tracking disc i8 is the record disc 88. Instead of the tone arm l'l employed in the Figs. 1 to 6 form of my invention, I may use a tone arm 88 which is of hollow shell-like construction (see l ig. 12) and which carries at one end thereof a standard type of recording unit 8| carrying a cutting needle 82 of the same construction and function as the needle l8. The opposite end of the tone arm 88 from that of the unit 8i is pivotally supported in a bearing member 88 which receives the pivot 88, in the following manner. The said pivot 88 is attached to an inverted U-shaped bracket 8i by means of a rigid strip 88 which in turn is fixedly attached to the pivots 88 and 88 in the customary manner, known to the art. The bracket 8| is fixed to the tone arm 88 by the rivets 88.

By the above described construction it is seen that when the tone arm 88 moves laterally across the disc 88 it is free to rotate-about the vertical axis of the pivot 88 while at the same time the said tone arm 88 may be rotated about the axis of the pivot 88 to withdraw the needle 82 out of contact with the disc 88 in a direction at right angles to the direction of rotation about the pivot 84. In accordance with the Figs. 9 through 12 form of my invention, instead of mounting the bearing member 8i directly on the tone arm I1, I employ the following construction: 'A hearing member 81 similar in function and" design to that of the bearing member II is mounted on an extended portion of the rigid longitudinal strip 88. As above described the said strip 88 is mounted onthe pivot shaft 88 for rotation therewith and at the same time is fixed to the pivot 88 for movement therewith. Therefore the bearing member 81 may rotate about the pivot 88 relatively to the tone arm 88. Mounted in the bearing member 81 is a bracket arm 88 similar to the bracket arm 88 comprising a portion 88b on which there is slidably mounted the weighted tracking member 88. Mounted on the tracking member 88 is a guide member 88 designed to ride in the spiral groove of the tracking disc H. 'The said member 88 may take the form of an ordinary phonograph needle such as the needle II or it may consist of a piece of felt or a metallic brush member as shown in Fig. 10.

In the side wall of the hollow tone arm 88 there is provided a notch 88 having an indented portion 88a. This notch 88 is designed for the purpose of receiving the portion 88b of the bracket arm 88 when the tracking member 88 is not in effective use. When the desired amountof recording has been made, it is merely necessary to raise the bracket arm portion 88 into the notch 88 and then to move the same slightly rearwardly and downwardly into the portion 88:: to retain the tracking member 88 out of contact with the disc I 8. In order to permit the above described slight rearward movement of the arm 88, the portion 88a thereof in the bearing 81 is made slightly longer than the bracket 81 to permit of such movement.

Wh le in the drawings I have shown a type of recording unit which may be removably attached to the tone arm so that after the recording has been completed it-may be replaced by a reproducing unit so that the sound on the recorded disc may be reproduced with the same tone arm. However, it is understood that instead of having a removable recording unit, my invention may also be satisfactorily practised by providing a separate recording unit and a separate reproducing unit, each unit having its own tone arm and each being permanently mounted in the phonograph cabinet for selective use.

In accordance with the provisions of the patent statutes, I have herein described the principle and operation of my invention, together with the apparatus which I now consider to represent the best embodiment thereof, but I desire to have it understood that the apparatus shown is only illustrative and that the invention can be carr'ed out by other means. Also, while it is designed to use the various features and elements in the combination and relations described, some of these may be altered and others omitted without interfering with the more general results outlined, and the invention extends to such use.

Having described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1. In a phonograph device of the class described the combination of a first turn table, a pre-grooved disc on said first turn table, a second turn table, a recording disc on said second turn table, means for causing simultaneous rotation of said first and second turn tables, a tone arm, a recording unit attached to said tone arm and having a cutting needle adapted to plough a groove in said recording disc in accordance with the sound to be recorded, a tracker member, a guide member carried by said tracker member and adapted to ride inthe spiral groove of said pre-grooved disc, and means for interconnecting said tracker member with said tone arm to cause said cutting needle to travel in a spiral path on said recording disc in conformity with the spiral groove on said pre-grooved disc, said last named means including a bracket arm adapted to extend transversely across the spiral groove of the vregrooved element. said track member being additionally slidable on said bracket arm so that after a predetermined amoimt or recording the second turn table adapted to receive a recording disc thereon, means for causing simultaneous rotation of said nrst and second turn tables, a tone arm, a recording unit attached to said tone arm and having a cutting needle adapted to plough a groove in said recording disc in accordance with the sound to be recorded, a tracker member, a guide member carried by said tracker member and adapted to ride in the spiral groove 01' said pre-grooved disc, and means for interconnecting said tracker member with said tone arm to cause said cutting needle to travel in a spiral path on said recording disc in conformity with the spiral groove on said pre-grooved disc, said last named means including abracket arm adapted to extend transversely across the spiral groove of the pregrooved element, said tracker member being additionally slidable on said bracket arm so that after a predetermined amount of recording the tracker member may be slidably moved on said bracket arm to a new point thereon to enable another predetermined amount of recording to be made on the recording element with the same portion of the pr a ooved element as previously used.

4; Inaphonographdeviceoitbetvpewherein a spirally pre-grooved element and a recording element are mounted for simultaneous rotation andinwhicharecordingunithavingacutting needleis adaptedtoplowagrooveintherecording elementinaccordance withtbesoundtobe recorded and in which the said cutting needle is caused to travel in a spiral path in conformity with the pro-grooved element-that improvement which comprises a support for said recording unit, said support being mounted on a pivot. atrackingmemberadaptedto rideinthespiral groove of said pre-grooved element, a holder ior said tracking member and a bracket arm mounted on said recording unit support, said bracket arm comprising a portion ,rotatably mounted on said recording unit support, and an integral portion adapted to extend transversely across the spiral groove 01 the pre-grooved element, said last named transverse portion being arcuately curved with the axis of said pivot as the center of curvature thereof, said tracking member holder being rotatably mounted on said transverse portion of said bracket arm.

5. A phonograph device according to claim 4 in which said tracking member holder is additionally slidable on said transverse portion oi said bracket arm so that alters predetermined amount 01' recording the tracking member may be slidably moved on said transverse portion oi said bracket arm to a new point thereon to enable another predetermined amount of recording to be made on the recording element with the same portion or the pregrooved element as previously 8. A phonograph device according to claim 4 in which means are provided for preventing the vibrations of said tracking member from being transmitted to said cutting needle.

ALPHONBE CORTELA. 

